Patch #14: New Hostage Rescue mode (PvP) and more! • V1033 Community Test
Patch #14 is now live on the Community Test beta branch!
[h2]Patch notes[/h2]
[h2]Hostage Rescue (PvP): Rules of Engagement[/h2]
This patch introduces new PvP game mode Hostage Rescue!
It is currently only setup for Small Town, but as we test and refine it, it will be expanded to more maps. Keep in mind that larger player counts may not work particularly well in Small Town.
Here are the rules:
We kindly ask that testers give this new mode some special attention if possible, as we are interested to know what works and what doesn't — whether it's bugs or the game's rules and mechanics.
So keep the feedback and reports coming. We're very grateful for them!
[h3]❓ How to join the Community Test beta branch[/h3]Steam will begin downloading the files for the new testing branch.
- Right-click GROUND BRANCH in your Steam Library and select Properties…
- Click BETAS on the left-hand list menu
- Select 'communitytest - Community testing branch' from the drop-down menu
[h3]🐞 Where to report bugs[/h3]
You can report bugs and issues using any of these methods:Your reports help us locate and fix issues faster, so keep them coming!
- The in-game Bugs & Issues screen (press [Esc] once in-game and look along the top menu)
- The Steam forums: steamcommunity.com/app/16900/discussions/
- The #bug-reports channel on the official GROUND BRANCH™ Discord
[h2]Patch notes[/h2]
- First public test release of Hostage Rescue PvP game mode (see accompanying notes below)
- Tentative crash fix involving M4- and HK416-series animations
- Optimized material usage on Run Down architecture meshes
- Set lots of cull distances, merged various meshes in non-playable areas and reduced material usage on more architecture meshes
- Tentative crash fix involving VOIP
- Bug fixes for resurrect function
- New admin resatme function to resurrect at the invoking player's position
- Dedicated servers now load the localization CSVs again (fixes format commands like "X killed Y" in Deathmatch)
- Fixed MOUT acronym definition in Small Town description
- Added new Lua library call player.HasGameplayTag() to allow Lua script to check if a character has a GameplayTag set
- Fixed vote change map problem (overlay was visible that shouldn't have been)
- Further small tweaks to TAA settings
- Made sure lights in spawn areas for Arena maps are on for all TOD
- Turned off cast shadows on various smaller meshes
- Removed light array from Small Town light switches (gets rid of log warnings)
- Updated City: parse on nav mesh with new tool for adding nav mesh modifier(s), corrected collision on some misc static meshes e.g. skipping rope
[h2]Hostage Rescue (PvP): Rules of Engagement[/h2]
This patch introduces new PvP game mode Hostage Rescue!
It is currently only setup for Small Town, but as we test and refine it, it will be expanded to more maps. Keep in mind that larger player counts may not work particularly well in Small Town.
Here are the rules:
[h3]Hostage Rescue — Game Rules[/h3]
A random player of the attacking team has been taken hostage in one of the buildings, selected at random by the game mode. The defenders' movements are restricted to within that building, unless the hostage escapes it. The hostage player is hooded and cuffed, limiting their vision and world interactions.
Defenders can lead the hostage around the building or simply hold them in place by holding the Interact key (default F). They can also intimidate the hostage into silence by pointing a gun at them, but you will need two defenders to both lead/hold and intimidate the hostage at the same time.
Attackers can select any insertion point and will have to find the building where the hostage is being held — possibly with the assistance of the hostage making some noise with the Talk (VOIP) key (default V) — and then breach the building and rescue the hostage. If the hostage has their cuffs released by the attackers, they will regain a full range of movement and team communication (i.e. radio and text chat).
[h3]Win conditions[/h3]
ATTACKERS
To win the round, at least one attacker must escort the hostage to any of the available extraction points. Alternatively, attackers will win if the defending team is eliminated.
DEFENDERS
To win the round, the defending team must eliminate all attackers, or survive the assault until the time runs out.
› Any team that kills the hostage will instantly lose the match. Careful with those frags, people.
[h3]Building Assault[/h3]
If there are not enough players to start a Hostage Rescue round (default 3), then the stripped-down Building Assault mode will start, in which the defenders are still restricted to a building, but there is no hostage and the teams must simply eliminate each other. The gloves are off in this mode!
- Admins can force the Building Assault mode, similarly to how Fox Hunt can be forced in DTAS.
- Building Assault currently requires at least 2 players. Like DTAS/Fox Hunt, it is envisaged to spawn in an AI bot if only one player joins a round, but this has not yet been implemented.
[h3]Players and balancing[/h3]
- We recommend 5–7 players minimum for a more satisfying Hostage Rescue experience.
- Hostage Rescue uses quite aggressive auto-balancing to maintain fair teams, so make sure both your Red and Blue team kits are up to date.
- Auto-balancing can be customized to be less aggressive if you don't mind uneven teams.
We kindly ask that testers give this new mode some special attention if possible, as we are interested to know what works and what doesn't — whether it's bugs or the game's rules and mechanics.
So keep the feedback and reports coming. We're very grateful for them!